Brooklyn, NY

September 2015

As a young woman with a penchant for performance, Katie Stipe traded the neon lights of her Las Vegas hometown for the bright lights of the Big Apple. For Stipe (as for many would-be performers), pursuing a career in performing arts meant auditioning during the day and working the bar at night.

As Stipe worked her way through the bar scene, she soon realized she had a natural talent for crafting cocktails. In 2003, she was hired by Julie Reiner to work at her Art Deco cocktail den, Flatiron Lounge. Stipe worked with Reiner for three and a half years, honing her craft and fine-tuning her palate, eventually becoming head bartender and manager.

With enough confidence to take center stage, Stipe left Flatiron in 2007 to open The Bourgeois Pig in the East Village, where she served as beverage director. In 2008, Stipe reunited with Reiner to help her open Clover Club in Brooklyn.

Stipe eagerly took the opportunity to invest herself in yet another spirit-culinary concept at the Northern European restaurant Vandaag, where she created a market-driven cocktail list with a focus on genevers and akvavits. She’s also worked at Brooklyn favorites The Shanty, Prime Meats, and Long Island Bar. For several years, Stipe has worked as a consultant for Diageo, and has crafted the beverage programs at Eventi Hotel for L’Amico and The Vine. Most recently, Stipe joined the team at newly opened Grand Army bar, also in Brooklyn.